Saturday, 29 March 2014

As is usually the case, we introduce the Monthly Sale with an unflattering and embarrassing picture of Zenia. In a unusual moment of weakness, we decided that this month's picture while embarrassing and unflattering was one taken so long ago that who would care?

Tuesday, 25 March 2014

Our Intermediate courses are for those who want more than the basics, but yet don't want to tacklesomething as complex as perhaps a lamp or compound fractions. Consider theIntermediate course as a good way to get out and enjoy this craft stress free with manynew friends and away from annoying family members. Instruction in advancedtechniques such as the use of cutting jigs, acid etching and mosaics will be taught. Ifyou have a particular project in mind but don't have the confidence to start it alone, thenthis course is for you. Taught on Wednesday nights by our long suffering Louie (30+ years)- Six nights (18 hours) for $89.00 or on Fridaysduring the day by Theresa (mid-level suffering at less than a decade) sixdays (24 hours) for $95.00 (other lengths prorated).A new addition to these courses is our offer of free glass fusing firings in our large kilns!Go here for dates... And look below at the recent work of one of our Friday students-

Thursday, 20 March 2014

Got nothing to do for a couple of hours this Saturday, then consider dropping in and taking this popular seminar. Puddles and Plates is innovative, highly addictive, very productive and oh, so easy.

This seminar is spread out over two days. The first day ( at 2 hours) is devoted to learning the process and doing the initial setup of your Puddle blank. In Week Two (3 hours) youwill make your puddles and prep a plate for slumping. Cost includes your choice of several molds, handouts and three firings. This class will give you a very high number of usablefinished jewelry pieces as well as what Mikey affectionately calls a 'Crumb Plate'!

Wednesday, 19 March 2014

The most significant discovery in Mikey's long and illustrious stained glass career was entirely serendipitous. Last April, the renown stained glass store owner was hiking in Germany's Neander Valley when he tripped over something on a trail. Some quick digging exposed the obstacle as what seemed to be the tip of a mastodon tusk. It wasn't until a few weeks later when the entire tusk was unearthed and dated that Mikey had realized the magnitude of his find. You see, the tusk he believes, is actually a Neanderthal glass cutter. Using traditional anthropological naming vernacular, Mikey gives it the name "toyofigus" in honour of his glass emporium- Fantasy In Glass (FIG).What makes this find so significant and explosive is that like the grozing pliers discovered in Slovenia last year, the 50,000-year-old toyofigus predates the presence of glass making!Examining the ToyoFigus glass cutter closely, we see the existence of a carefully aligned hole that starts at the top of the cutter and runs down through its entire length. "I think a Neanderthal master craftsman must have used a stone awl to hollow out this the toyofigus glass cutter." says Mikey. "Therefore, without a doubt" he says, "this proves that, while primitive man made and used tools, more importantly it suggests that Neanderthals used a cutter lubricant proving they were concerned with cutter wheel longevity".Furthermore, while digging out the tool, Mikey also had uncovered theentrance to a cave and another major find: the first example of Neanderthalcave stained glass cutlines. Fittingly, the cutlines show lamp and suncatcherdesigns alongside proposed formulas for actually manufacturing glass oncefire is discovered. "Maybe what we have here is the birth of a new hobby andartform."

Mikey theorizes that the Neanderthals' fondness for stained glass may explain why they vanished some 30,000 years ago. "Maybe their frustration at not actually having any glass to cut scared away all the game. They would have produced an awful racket all over the place complaining and arguing over whether Kokomo artglass would continue to be as popular as it is yet to be."